Customer Application Summary

MADURA TEA
INDUSTRY: BEVERAGE
APPLICATION: CARTON BARCODING
TECHNOLOGY: LABEL PRINTER APPLICATOR (LPA)
PRODUCT: AVERY ALX 720

BACKGROUND
Madura Tea Estates, Australias rst sub-
tropical tea plantation, pioneered Australian
green tea production in the 1980s. As one of
Australias top locally owned and operated
tea companies, Madura blends and packages
more than 24 tea styles in loose leaf, teabag
and silk infusers.
SITUATION
Madura was using an off-line print and apply
system. This adequately did the job, but needed
an operator. With production increasing, they
needed an automated print and apply labelling
system to print GS1-compliant barcode carton
labels. Madura also wanted to improve the
coding on its shipping cartons.
BUSINESS NEEDS
Increased Throughput
Madura wanted to improve labelling efciency
and accuracy, allowing throughput to increase,
by removing the manual operation and
adhering to GS1 compliance.
PROCESS NEEDS
Speed
Three packing machines operate in the non-
enveloped teabag section of the factory,
producing 450 bags per minute each. Trays of
50 teabags are conveyed through to foil over-
wrappers (to seal in avour), and automatically
inserted into packs on horizontal carton
erectors.
With the three packing machines feeding
down one line, output can reach 27 cartons a
minute, therefore, labelling speed is vital.
Custom Installation
Madura needed the labellers to be installed
such that they could be moved to different lines.
SOLUTION
Post site and process evaluation, Matthews
suggested two Avery ALX 720 Label Printer
Applicators (LPAs) for Madura, which were
installed at the end of each of their non-
enveloped teabag packing lines.
This solution best met Maduras requirements
for several reasons:
Ease of use: operator panels have clear
LED displays, plus controlling printing and
application processes is very simple.
The ALX 720 system is ideal for
manufacturers whose labels need to carry
a large volume of variable information
(such as batch and lot numbers, barcodes,
manufacture date, and so on), plus it can
also attach labels to the top, side or bottom
of products and packaging.
The Near Edge print-head runs at a top
speed of 300mm/second, with 300 dpi
resolution, allowing very small fonts and
graphics to be printed extremely quickly, yet
still with razor sharp clarity.
The Avery quality and reliability, with Matthews
strong after-sales service, were also factors.
Customised installation
The LPAs were to be mounted on frames
placed beside the conveyors, but Madura
Tea wanted the print-and-apply heads to be
installed directly on the conveyor frames, so
they are integral to, rather than separate from,
the frames. They also wanted the entire frames
mounted on castors, so they could easily swap
the printers between the lines.
OUTCOME
Madura Tea was pleased and impressed with
how closely Matthews project team worked
with them to deliver the modications exactly
as per discussed specications.
The Averys speed also suits Maduras
increased production: the foil-wrapped trays of
50 teabags are automatically inserted into packs
on horizontal carton erectors. These cartons
are then hand packed into shelf-ready outer
shipper cartons and manually fed into carton
tapers, which exit onto the Matthews labellers.
Madura Tea is very happy with the throughput:
the ALX 720s are labelling 27 cartons a minute
which they do with absolute ease.
The Avery LPAs have greatly improved the way
in which Madura applies GS1 barcode labels
to its shipping cartons in speed, clarity and
removing a manual operation.
The ALX 720 printer applicators
have been a valuable addition to
our packaging lines, and full marks
to Matthews for their commitment
to redesigning them to meet our
needs.
Brad Clinch, engineering and
maintenance manager, Madura Tea
www.matthews.com.au
e-mail: info@matthews.com.au
Telephone 1300 CODING